Crypto Update Agility: New Study Explores Challenges
If you think of software as a building, you might say it’s made up of code blocks. Many of these building blocks are custom-built for a specific application; others arrive on site pre-cast, because they’re standard components and used in many buildings. Cryptographic algorithms and functions are a prime example of this. They’re built into software to encrypt data and communication flows. But as these building blocks age and become brittle, the security of the entire application degrades. In a qualitative interview study with 21 international participants, CISPA researcher Alexander Krause explored the challenges faced by experienced software developers when they want to renew existing crypto implementations—or even create…
